


anne of olympus: the shadow of winter

by zeayoo



Series: anne of olympus [2]
Category: Ancient Greek Religion & Lore, Anne with an E (TV)
Genre: cole is my favorite character, diana is a queen per usual, gilbert and anne are besties but there's always tension :< wonder why, shirbert slowburn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-26
Updated: 2020-08-28
Packaged: 2021-03-06 21:01:31
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,754
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26125423
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zeayoo/pseuds/zeayoo
Summary: a continuation of the anne with an e/percy jackson au that literally no one asked for but I delivered regardlessafter the events of the summer, anne has managed to keep a low profile at her new school, even making it to the end of the first semester without any mythological encounters. but when she starts having weird dreams about diana around the same time that jerry requests her and gilbert’s help with a demigod he’s been scouting, anne starts to wonder if something bigger is at play here.sequel to anne of olympus*loosely based on the percy jackson and the olympians series
Relationships: Gilbert Blythe & Anne Shirley, Gilbert Blythe/Anne Shirley
Series: anne of olympus [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1768633
Comments: 12
Kudos: 46





	1. dreams

**Author's Note:**

> hi this is the sequel to anne of olympus!! if you haven't read that, I highly recommend that you do before reading this or else you will just be really confused lol

“Hurry up, you need to see this!” A boy exclaimed. The sun was setting behind the trees as he was ran through a neighborhood and towards the woods.

“You’re running too fast!” A younger boy shouted back, trying to keep up with the other boy’s long strides.

The older boy had to be around the age of 14 with floppy brown hair and an infectious smile. His laughter echoed throughout the neighborhood. The younger boy looked a few years younger, his grey eyes and dark features drowned out by his baby face.

They hurried into a small opening in the woods where they were shielded by the trees.

“What is it? What were you gonna show me?” inquired the younger one excitedly.

The older boy placed a small bouncy ball into the younger one’s hand.

“You know that camp I’ve been going to for the last few summers?” He asked.

The grey-eyed boy nodded.

“Well, check out what I learned there,” the older boy continued. He closed his eyes for a moment before waving his hand. The ball in the other boy’s hand went flying and bounced against a tree.

The younger boy gasped. “How did you do that?”

“It’s something a few children of Hermes can do,” he told him. “My friend, Nate, helped me figure it out. He called it telekinesis.”

“Hermes? As in the Greek God?” The younger boy said in disbelief.

The older boy nodded and grinned. “Yup. He’s my father.”

“No way, Roy. You’re lying. You put a string on the ball or rigged it somehow.”

“I know it sounds crazy, Gil, but you have to believe me. I think you might be like me too,” Roy said.

Gilbert shook his head. “You’re always saying crazy things like that. Quit messing with me.”

“No, I’m serious, Gilbert. I’m leaving for camp tomorrow and I think you should come with me. The ADHD, the dyslexia- it all adds up. You’re a demigod. Just like me,” Roy stated.

“I think you might be losing it,” replied Gilbert.

All of a sudden, the scene shifted.

Diana was in a dimly lit room. Her hair and demeanor looked as effervescent as ever, but the look on her face said otherwise. She sat in velvet chair, glaring at someone sitting across from her.

“You have to let me go, my Lord. Don’t you see? Your helm was returned safely,” she said shakily.

The other person in the room spoke but their voice was muffled.

“I know, I know. The rules of the Underworld. But by keeping me here, you’re going to anger my father. Do you really want to deal with the wrath of Apollo?” Diana said.

Laughter.

“Apollo will curse you if you don’t let me go,” she spat out. “Don’t you realize what’s happening? The Great Prophecy is beginning. I must return to Camp Half-Blood. I need to be there for her!” She was desperate now.

Slumped back against the chair defeatedly, she turned her head to look at someone else.

“Persephone, can you please talk some sense into him?” Diana begged.

* * *

Anne sat up abruptly, the sun rising outside her window. Diana’s voice was echoing in her head.

She always had weird dreams, but this one had to be the weirdest of them all.

She felt a pang in chest as she thought about seeing Diana like that, even just hearing her voice hurt her heart. It did make her feel better knowing that Diana hadn’t lost her spunk. Very few people could stand up to Hades like that and live to tell. But what prophecy was she talking about?

Not only that, why was she shown Roy and Gilbert as young boys? What did that flashback even have to do with Diana? She lied in bed, pondering over this for an hour, and came to the conclusion that somehow, everything was connected.

* * *

Anne walked into the kitchen of the small apartment she shared with Matthew and Marilla, close friends of Bash.

They were also centaurs, like Bash, and were able to mask some of Anne’s demigod scent. For Anne’s sake, however, they spent most of the time in their human form. Anne made sure they knew that she didn’t care that they were half horse and half human, but they preferred to stay in their human form in general. Besides, it took up less space in the apartment.

Over the last couple of months, Anne grew to really enjoy Matthew and Marilla’s company. Both siblings had lived for a couple centuries which meant they were very wise and worldly, often telling Anne stories about their adventures as young centaurs. They truly cared about her and wanted to see her succeed which is something Anne was not used to.

“Good morning!” Marilla greeted her, putting a plate of food on the kitchen table for her.

“Morning,” Anne replied, pushing thoughts about the dream out of her head.

Matthew sat at the table. He was drinking some sort of special centaur tea while flipping through the newspaper: _The Daily Olympus_.

“Are you excited for your last day of classes for the semester?” Marilla asked Anne.

Anne nodded as she dug into her breakfast. “Very. I’ve aced most of my finals so far. Today’s my last one so I can’t wait to be done. I’m so tired of studying.”

“We’re very proud of you,” Matthew told her.

“Thanks, Matthew,” Anne said with a smile.

“Do you have any plans for winter break?” Marilla asked.

Anne shrugged. “I’m not sure yet. I think I might just relax. We’ll see.”

She glanced at the time and quickly finished the rest of her breakfast.

“I should get going, but thank you so much for breakfast! It was delicious as usual!” Anne said as she placed her plate in the sink. She grabbed her backpack, waved goodbye to both of them, and hurried out the door, grabbing her winter coat on the way out.

As she made her way to school, she tried to get those weird dreams out of her head. She just needed to focus on completing this last final. The last few months Anne had been determined to keep a low profile, prioritizing her grades and keeping her mind off of everything that happened over the summer.

And surprisingly enough, her junior year of high school was going uncharacteristically smoothly. Not only did she actually like West City Academy, but she was doing very well. She enjoyed all of her classes and even managed to make it through the semester without having any run-ins with monsters. Deciding to worry about the dream later, Anne pushed through the doors of school.

* * *

The school bell rang loudly, indicating the last class of the day was over.

Anne stood at her locker, satisfied with how her last final went. Her thoughts were interrupted when someone slammed her locker shut. A girl with long, blonde hair and a tall figure stood beside her.

“So… how’d the chem final go?” The girl asked enthusiastically.

“Definitely aced it,” Anne told her smugly.

“Nice!” The girl exclaimed, high-fiving her.

It was Prissy. The first and only friend Anne made at West City Academy.

As much as Anne liked West City, most of the girls were rich and a bit elitist. Prissy, on the other hand, was like a breath of fresh air from those girls and even just the rest of Anne’s life. A normal mortal, she was super smart and carefree. Prissy also didn’t liked to talk about her family or her status- Anne tried her hardest not to push.

“Are we meeting Gilbert at Tim’s?” Prissy inquired.

“Yeah, he’s gonna meet us there once he’s done class,” Anne informed her.

“Okay, cool,” replied Prissy. “Oh, and I almost forgot! I wanted to ask you something. Are you doing anything over winter break?”

Anne shook her head. “I was planning on just relaxing a bit.”

“Well… if your plans aren’t set in stone, I was wondering if you wanted to come with me to my family’s mountain house in Utah. It’s great for skiing!”

“Skiing? I’ve never been,” Anne contemplated this for a moment before reminding herself that she’s allowed to have fun. “…But that sounds fun. I have to talk to Matthew and Marilla but I’m sure they’ll let me go!”

“Yay!” exclaimed Prissy. “Thank _god_! With you there, I’ll actually have fun and won’t have to spend time with my snooty little sisters.”

“But you _will_ have the teach me how to ski,” Anne reminded her.

Prissy laughed. The two of them made their way down the hallway and out the doors.

* * *

They met up with Gilbert at Tim’s, Anne’s favorite diner in the city that was only a few blocks from school. Gilbert’s school, Silverleaf Charter School, was pretty close as well. The three of them often went there after school. With its checkered floor and teal seats, the diner was something right out of the 50s.

Anne got her usual order- chocolate chip pancakes topped with whipped cream and strawberries. She also drowned them in syrup.

The three of them sat in a booth, chatting about the last day of the fall semester.

“Where was it that you and Bash went again?” Anne asked.

“We went fishing up at Lake Placid. It was a super relaxing trip,” he answered.

Gilbert’s 17th birthday was a few weeks ago so him and Bash went fishing in upstate New York for the weekend to celebrate.

“And you enjoyed that?” Prissy said, failing to hide the disgust on her face.

“Yes, I did. I find fishing to be quite the enjoyable hobby. I even caught a few bass,” Gilbert replied.

Anne rolled her eyes. Men.

“Gilbert doesn’t enjoy fun things like going to the movies or bowling or literally anything else. He's like a grandpa in a teenager's body,” Anne told Prissy matter-of-factly.

Gilbert scoffed and took a forkful of her pancakes, much to Anne’s annoyance. She swat his hand away but it was too late.

“You’re impossible,” she mumbled. “Always stealing my pancakes… If you like them so much, get your own.”

“No, I don’t think I will,” Gilbert said before stealing another bite.

Prissy laughed. “You guys are too cute.”

Gilbert froze mid-bite.

“Shut _up_ ,” Anne whispered to Prissy, looking down at her pancakes to hide her flushed cheeks.

Prissy eyed Gilbert mischievously. “So Gilbert… I heard Silverleaf is having their annual winter dance tomorrow. Are you planning on going?”

This piqued Anne’s attention. “You guys are having a dance? Why didn’t you mention it before?”

“Oh, I don’t know. I’m… not really a dance type of guy,” Gilbert stuttered, suddenly visibly uncomfortable.

“That’s too bad,” Prissy frowned, her tone teasing. “Anne loves dancing.”

Anne kicked Prissy’s shin underneath the table. “When did I ever say that?”

“You always talk about how much you would love someone to invite you to a ball where you dance the night away and fall in love like a Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennett type beat,” Prissy reminded her. “Unless I misinterpreted what you said.”

Anne wanted to strangle her friend right then and there. “Prissy, if you don’t-”

“Oh, look at the time!” Prissy cut her off and stood up. “My parents wanted me home at 5 so I should get going. Don’t worry about paying guys, food’s on me!” She smirked at them before turning on her heel and walking up to the cashier.

Anne watched as Prissy paid for the food and flounced out the door.

“Ignore her,” Anne told him, a bit embarrassed. “She always rambles on about stupid things.”

The two of them ate in awkward silence for a few minutes. Anne decided that maybe now would be a good time to tell him about her dream.

“Gilbert, I actually need to talk to you about something,” Anne said, breaking the silence.

Her tone of voice caused his expression to change immediately. “What is it?” His voice was laced with concern.

“Last night, I had a strange dream. About Diana,” she started.

Gilbert frowned and sat up.

“She was talking to Hades, trying to convince him to release her. And Hades was obviously not happy to oblige. But then Diana mentioned something,” continued Anne.

“What was it?”

“She said something about the Great Prophecy,” Anne said. She watched as his expression changed again. This time it was unreadable. “Do you know what she was talking about?”

“No, I… I don’t know anything about that,” he said slowly. “Maybe you misheard what she said?”

“I know what I heard.”

Gilbert shifted uncomfortably in his seat. “It probably doesn’t mean anything. You probably had it because you…miss Diana. Besides, dreams can be misinterpreted.”

Frustrated, Anne let out a puff of air. She knew he wasn’t telling her something.

“If it was just a meaningless dream, then why did I dream about you and-” she hesitated, wondering if mentioning Roy would reopen a fresh wound. They hadn’t spoken about the whole Roy thing since summer. She had no idea how Gilbert felt about it now.

He raised an eyebrow. “Me and who?”

“Never-mind,” Anne said a little too quickly. “Just forget I said anything. It was probably just a dream. Like you said.”

She got up from her seat and promptly made her way out of the diner, Gilbert following closely behind.

“Anne, wait. I’ll walk you home,” Gilbert said, jogging to catch up with her.

“You don’t have to,” Anne told him.

He sighed. “I want to.”

She didn’t reply. Instead, she was mentally yelling at the butterflies in her stomach to go away.

The two walked through the city towards Anne’s apartment in a comfortable silence. Anne didn’t know why things were so tense between them today.

She looked around at the city in awe. She forgot how pretty New York was around the holidays, especially at night. Colorful lights, decorated trees, cheerful storefront windows- it was like walking through a winter wonderland.

When they arrived at the apartment building, Anne turned to face Gilbert and say goodbye. His hands were in his pockets and it looked like he wanted to say something to her.

“Thanks for walking me home. I’ll see you later,” Anne said with a small smile. She turned to walk into the building but Gilbert grabbed her wrist. She froze.

“Wait, Anne. I actually wanted to ask you something,” Gilbert said suddenly.

Aware of their proximity, Gilbert let go of her wrist but didn’t step back.

“I was planning on asking you this the whole day but then Prissy brought it up and I didn’t want you to feel awkward or uncomfortable cause, you know, we’re friends and I knew you might be weirded out. I wasn't even planning on going but all my friends are going and I just...” babbled Gilbert nervously.

Anne stared at him, unsure where this was going.

“I just wanted to ask if you would go to Silverleaf’s winter dance tomorrow. With me,” he finished.

The second the words left his mouth, Anne forgot how cold it was outside because all of the heat in her body went to her face.

“You’re asking me to go to the dance with you?” Anne asked, slowly processing this.

Gilbert nodded before quickly adding, “if you’re uncomfortable with it, you don’t have to!”

“Why would I be uncomfortable? We’re friends, aren’t we?” Anne laughed nervously, She mentally slappedherself for that one. “I’d love to go! I’ve always wanted to go to a dance.”

Gilbert seemed to sigh a breath of relief. “Okay. Great! Um, I’ll pick you up at seven tomorrow, okay?”

“Sounds perfect!” Anne exclaimed, her voice higher than normal.

“Okay. Perfect! I’ll see you then,” Gilbert replied, running a hand through his hair. He walked backwards for a moment, waving to her, before turning around and walking into the night.

As soon as he was gone, Anne ran up the stairs and into the apartment.

Marilla looked surprised to see Anne in such a frantic state. “I was wondering when you were coming home. How was the final? Did you eat?”

“It was great! And yup, I ate already! But I’m really tired so I’m gonna go to bed now so...goodnight!” she told her in one breath. Anne blinked for a second and ran to her room, shutting the door behind her.

Matthew looked at Marilla, confused.

She shrugged. “Teenagers.”

Finally in the safety of her room, Anne leaned against the door and slid down until she was sitting on the floor. Her heart was racing. But she couldn’t stop smiling.

Gilbert asked her to the dance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> p.s. in this universe, Prissy is not related to Billy


	2. surprise guests

So Anne didn’t really think the whole dance thing through.

Although she fell asleep that night with a huge smile plastered on her face, she woke up the next day in a panic. This time, however, she wasn’t waking up because of a strange prophetic dream. She was waking up because she realized she was in no way prepared to go to this winter formal.

First of all, she didn’t even have a dress. She’d never been to a school dance before so she did not own any formal dresses. All she had were a few outdated sundresses that she wore when she was 13. Not to mention the fact that she was incapable of doing her hair or makeup properly. She didn’t want to show up to this fancy winter formal looking like a complete clown.

“Gods, why am I so stressed out about this?” Anne grumbled to herself. “It’s not like it’s a date or anything. It’s just a school dance.”

She groaned and fell back against her pillow. Lying flat, she stared up at the ceiling. There was only one person she could call to ask for help and this person would never let her hear the end of it.

With a frustrated sigh, Anne dialed a number on her phone.

“Hey. I need your help,” she said when the person answered.

* * *

Prissy was over at Anne’s apartment in less than an hour. Anne barely even got the words out before Prissy was already gathering a bunch of makeup and clothes and knocking on the door.

“Don’t you say a single word,” Anne told her as soon as she opened the door to see Prissy’s smug grin.

“I knew he wanted to ask you to the dance. He just needed a little push,” Prissy gloated, sashaying into the apartment with a backpack and a huge suitcase in haul.

Anne rolled her eyes and led Prissy to her bedroom. Prissy waved excitedly to Matthew and Marilla who were relaxing on the couch in their human form hidden by the mist.

Prissy emptied the contents of the suitcase onto Anne’s bed. “So I brought a bunch of dresses that I think would look _amazing_ on you. I also brought some of my favorite makeup palettes. Oh, and a curling iron- I assumed you didn’t have one.”

Anne gawked at the mess of clothes and palettes on her bed. She had to laugh at her friend’s accurate judgement. “You assumed correctly.”

“So what are you waiting for? Try them on!” urged Prissy.

Anne happily obliged.

The first dress was a red dress. As pretty as it was, it was a little too short for Anne’s liking. She also didn’t love how it looked with her red hair.

She tried on a pale green one next. It was an adorable dress with puff sleeves and the perfect length. Anne decided to try on a few more though, before making a decision.

There was a pink one that did not fit her right, a black one that was a bit scandalous, and a sparkly one that did not match her personality. Anne decided to choose the green dress, but Prissy stopped her.

“Wait. I think you should try this one on,” said Prissy, reaching into her backpack and taking out another dress.

Anne nearly gasped when she saw it. The dress was a beautiful light blue satin dress that seemed to shine under the light.

“I almost forgot about it... I think it might be the perfect dress for you,” Prissy told her.

When Anne changed into the dress, Prissy’s suspicions were confirmed. The dress was tight in all the right places with the perfect length as well, coming right to her mid-thigh.

Anne looked into the mirror and covered her mouth in shock. She couldn’t believe it was her in the reflection. The blue satin made her blue eyes pop and looked brilliant against her red hair.

“That’s the one, no question,” Prissy decided. “You _have_ to wear it!”

“Are you sure?” Anne asked Prissy, still staring at herself in the mirror. “It seems expensive.”

“Don’t worry about that. This dress was literally made for you,” Prissy reassured her.

Anne smiled and ran over to Prissy to give her a huge hug.

“You are my fairy godmother,” Anne exclaimed.

“I know,” laughed Prissy. “But you better take a picture of Gilbert’s face for me when he picks you up for the date and sees you in this dress.”

Anne whacked Prissy on the arm. “For the last time, it’s not a date. We’re just friends.”

“Sure, okay,” Prissy said smugly.

For the rest of the day, the two girls just lounged around, passing time by planning Anne’s hair and makeup look and chattering about their trip to Prissy’s house in the mountains. Every now and then, Anne felt a pang in her chest, thinking about how well Diana and Prissy would get along.

Around 6 o’clock, they decided it was time for Anne to get ready. Marilla came in to help curl Anne’s hair while Prissy did her makeup.

“I feel like a celebrity,” Anne joked as she was being doted on.

“Well, it’s your first school dance and we want to make it special,” Prissy replied, earning a firm nod in agreement from Marilla.

After an hour and half of agony (Anne’s ADHD made it hard for her to sit still for that long), her hair and makeup were finally done.

“Are you ready for the reveal?” Prissy asked her.

Anne nodded and Prissy spun the chair around so Anne was facing the mirror. Prissy had opted to do a more elegant, glowy makeup look on Anne. Her hair was in loose curly waves with part of it pinned back in a half-up half-down style, thanks to Marilla. Some of the curls fell around her shoulders, framing her face perfectly.

“Wow,” Anne said, “I look…”

“Beautiful!” Prissy and Marilla finished for her, in unison.

Anne beamed as she stared at herself in the mirror before turning to Prissy and Marilla. “Thank you both for helping me. You know I’ve always wanted to go to a dance.”

Marilla smiled at her. “Happy to help. You deserve it, especially after the year you’ve had.”

“Gilbert is going to die!” Prissy exclaimed, causing Marilla to chuckle and Anne to glare at her.

Prissy laughed but quickly stopped when she read a text on her phone. “Ugh, my parents are being annoying so I should probably get going. But send me lots of pictures and tell me how it goes!”

“I will! You’re the best, Prissy,” Anne said.

“I know, I know.” Prissy blew her a kiss as she walked out the door.

* * *

By the time 8pm rolled around, Anne could feel her nerves building. She paced around the apartment anxiously awaiting Gilbert’s arrival as she could feel her whole body heating up. Why was she so jittery?

“You know what?” she said to Matthew and Marilla. “I’m just gonna wait outside for him. It’s so hot in here.”

“But it’s 20 degrees out, Anne,” Marilla reminded her. “At least take a jacket.”

“I’ll be fine,” she replied. With a nervous wave to the two centaurs, she walked out the door and down the stairs.

It was a bit hard for her to walk in heels but she was certainly getting the hang of it. She stood outside, instantly regretting not listening to Marilla and taking a jacket. The air was bitterly cold and she could see her breath under the street light.

Anne was so distracted by her thoughts that she didn’t hear Gilbert’s footsteps approaching.

“Anne?” His voice spoke.

She looked up, her nerves instantly melting away when she saw him. “Gilbert.”

For a moment, Gilbert looked stunned. The look on his face reminded Anne a bit of when she kissed him to snap him out of the Lotus Eaters’ trap.

“Wow, you look…” He scratched the back of his neck as his eyes scanned her face and dress, eyebrows moving dramatically. “…Really pretty.”

Anne felt herself blush in the cold. “Thanks… I never get to dress up so I thought I should tonight. Nice suit, by the way.”

He chuckled, looking down at his suit. “Bash lent it to me. Came all the way to my dorm from camp to give it to me.”

“Of course he did,” Anne laughed. A cold gust of wind blew her hair back and she shivered, wrapping her arms around herself.

“You should have worn a jacket. It’s freezing out here,” Gilbert scolded her.

“You sound like Marilla,” she replied. “I’ll be fine once we get in the taxi."

Without hesitating, Gilbert immediately took his suit jacket off and wrapped it around her shoulders. Her eyes widened at this gesture.

“For a smart girl, you can be really stupid sometimes,” Gilbert said, shaking his head.

Anne opened her mouth to argue, but Gilbert guided her to the side of the street where he hailed a taxi for them.

* * *

When they arrived at Gilbert’s school for the formal, Anne was amazed to see all the students walking into the building. Everyone was dressed to the nines with beautiful dresses and fancy suits. She had forgotten how rich some private school kids were until she saw a few pull up to the dance in limousines with tinted windows.

“I thought limos were only a prom thing,” Anne whispered to Gilbert. She watched as the driver of one limo got out and opened the door for the students.

Gilbert laughed. “People at this school are so extra, I swear.”

As they walked into the building, Anne couldn’t help but think that her old school, Hercules High School, was basically a dump compared to Silverleaf.

The dance was in the gym but you would never even know that it was a gym. The entrance was through an archway of white twinkling lights where they were then met with an elegant, winter wonderland. Artificial snow and LED trees created a magical atmosphere while a huge chandelier hung from the ceiling.

Anne couldn’t believe she was so nervous to come to this thing when it was so beautiful and nothing like she’d ever experienced before. “This is like a fairytale,” she said in awe, staring at the scene surrounding her.

But Gilbert was staring at Anne. With her her cheeks rosy from the cold air and her blue satin dress, she looked stunning under the twinkling lights.

Oh, he was so screwed.

Gilbert knew he had a crush on Anne since the day he met her but he knew she only saw him as a friend- he always just assumed his feelings for her would eventually fade away. In this very moment, however, as he watched Anne’s face light up simply because of a few decorations in a gym, he realized he was always going to feel like this… a longing for her to feel the same way. She was preoccupied though, Gilbert knew it- being the daughter of Zeus and all meant a lot of responsibility and stress. And he valued their friendship too much to let his own feelings ruin it. Doesn’t mean it didn’t hurt him any less though.

“Gilbert!” Someone called out, pulling him out of his thoughts.

It was his roommate, Charlie Sloane. He jogged over to him and greeted Gilbert with a handshake.

“You look great,” Charlie told him.

“You too,” replied Gilbert.

Anne watched the interaction curiously before stepping forward and holding her hand out.

“Hi, I’m Anne Shirley. A friend of Gilbert’s,” she said to Charlie.

An impressed Charlie shook her hand right away. “Ah, so this is the famous Anne…” he said with a grin.

Anne arched an eyebrow at this while Gilbert was planning to smack Charlie for that later when they went to back their dorm.

“I didn’t expect you to be so beautiful,” Charlie admitted, ignoring the annoyed expression on Gilbert’s face.

Anne smiled, about to say something witty, when someone caught her eye. It was Prissy, in the green dress Anne tried on earlier that day. She was standing with some guy Anne had never seen before.

“Prissy?” Anne exclaimed. “What are you doing here?”

Noticing Anne, Prissy hurried over to join them. She did not look very happy to be here.

“Why didn’t you tell me you were coming?” Anne asked.

“Well, I was planning on not coming until, like, an hour ago,” Prissy said, pulling Anne to the side. She greeted Gilbert with a small nod and didn’t even bother introducing herself to Charlie, who was most definitely offended by this.

Anne was confused to say the least. “What? Why? Who’s that guy you’re with?”

Prissy groaned. “My parents are so _annoying_. That dress you’re wearing, they bought me it to wear to this dance. But I didn’t even want to come to this thing… I was hoping I could get out of it but they made me come anyway,” she explained. “The guy’s name is Xavier and he’s literally such an asshole. Like the definition of daddy’s money. I’m only with him cause my dad wanted to secure some business deal with his father and thought auctioning off his daughter was the best way to do it. And my mother just desperately wants me to adhere to high society’s standards... or whatever.”

Anne frowned, offering her friend some sympathy. “I’m sorry, Prissy. That's so unfair. But look on the bright side, at least you look beautiful.”

Prissy snorted at this. “No. The only upside to this is that I get to see you and Gilbert together.”

“Never-mind. I don’t feel bad for you anymore… Don’t you have a date return to?” Anne said, turning her nose up.

Prissy rolled her eyes and laughed. “Yeah, I should probably get back to him before he comes looking for me. I’ll see you later.”

Gilbert and Charlie had been joined by some of their other friends who stood in a clump talking. When Anne made her way over to them, Gilbert introduced her to a few of them. Most of them were nice and Anne even found herself laughing at some of their jokes.

Anne bopped to the upbeat music with Gilbert’s friends for a while, thoroughly enjoying herself. Colorful lights danced across the ceiling and the speakers vibrated with every beat drop. It reminded her of school dance scenes in TV shows that she used to watch growing up.

Eventually, a slow song came on prompting the group to disperse and go off to find their dates, leaving Anne and Gilbert alone. As people around them began to partner up for the slow dance, Anne _really_ felt like she was in one of those TV shows she used to watch.

She watched Gilbert carefully, waiting to see if he was going to ask her to dance or if they were just gonna stand there awkwardly for three minutes until the song was over.

“Care to dance?” He said finally.

Anne breathed a nervous sigh of relief and smiled. “Of course.”

He gently took her into his arms, sliding his hands around her waist. Instinctively, Anne responded by wrapping her arms around the nape of his neck. They swayed slowly to the music, occasionally meeting each other’s gaze.

Until this very moment, Anne had never been so confused by her own thoughts and feelings in her life. She considered Gilbert to be one her best friends and he was one of the few she trusted with her life. For the short amount of time they’d known each other, they’d already been through so much together.

Nevertheless, they were just friends- which is what she told everyone who asked. Yes, of course she thought his face was very pleasing to the eye. And yes, from time to time, she often found herself thinking about their kiss at the Lotus Hotel. And yes, she very much liked it when _he_ was looking at _her_. That didn’t mean anything though… right? At least that’s what she told herself every time the thought of being more than friends crossed her mind.

But as she danced with him in this fairytale-like winter wonderland, feeling like Elizabeth Bennett under the stars with Mr. Darcy, she couldn’t help but feel her heart flutter every time their eyes met. Did this mean what she thought it meant…?

“So you’re really going to Prissy’s house in Utah over break?” Gilbert asked her as they continued to slow dance.

Anne nodded. “Yeah. Matthew and Marilla were all for it. They thought it was such a great idea.”

“I’m jealous,” he replied. “It’s gonna be weird not having you around for a week. I’ll miss you.”

She could’ve sworn he pulled her closer to him when he said that.

“Your constant rambling and eagerness to argue, I mean,” Gilbert added quickly, feigning a sarcastic tone of voice.

“Oh please, you love it,” Anne joked.

“Maybe,” he said.

“And you have no room to talk, Mr. Always-Have-To-Be-Right-About-Everything,” she quipped.

He gasped and pretended like that hurt his feelings. “Okay, but at least I didn’t hate you when I first met you because I thought you insulted my hair.”

“You knew I didn’t like you at first?” Anne asked, surprised and a bit embarrassed.

“Yeah, you’re not very good at hiding your emotions,” Gilbert said.

“Okay, that’s fair. I _do_ have a pretty bad temper,” she admitted.

“At least you’re self-aware,” he quipped.

Anne nudged him with her shoulder, both offended and endeared. Gilbert’s eyes crinkled with laughter but he froze when they met Anne’s. They were suddenly both aware of their proximity to one another. It was quiet except for the sound of the music ringing in Anne’s ears.

Just as Gilbert seemed like he was about to close the gap between them, there was a loud explosion.

And then, chaos.

Following the explosion, the gym erupted into screams. Masses of people ran for the exit, girls hiking up their dresses and tripping over their heels to get out of the gym. There was a loud bass boom as the speakers came crashing down.

That’s when Anne realized what was happening.

At the center of the gym was an army of skeleton warriors, coming out of the ground. And they were staring right at her.

Anne glanced at Gilbert with wide eyes, easily reading the expression on his face. She reached into her purse and uncapped Avonlea while Gilbert did the same with his sword. And then, they charged.

A whole skeleton army versus two demigods who hadn’t been in a proper fight in a while was definitely not a fair fight, Anne thought to herself. She found herself fighting five warriors at once, her reflexes working at full throttle.

The gym was empty now except for a few students who were cowering in the corners of the room. Anne ignored them and battled harder. She had no idea what the mist was allowing them to see but it couldn’t be good.

Beside her, Gilbert was defending himself from a bunch of warriors as well. And for some reason, none of the warriors were dying. Anne even stabbed one right in the chest and nothing happened.

“Gilbert, what in Hades are we going to do?” she shouted frantically.

“Abort?” he yelled back.

“I think we have to,” agreed Anne. “They don’t care about anyone here, they just want us. So they’ll follow us.”

By now, they were completely surrounded by these seemingly un-killable warriors which meant Anne had to resort to a different method. She closed her eyes and pointed Avonlea at the skeleton warriors closest to the exit. The energy in her chest built up until she finally released it, summoning a bolt of electricity and shooting it right at them.

The warriors were sent flying. Although it didn’t kill them, it allowed Anne and Gilbert enough time to run out of the building and escape. Anne kicked her heels off her feet as she ran down the street, the skeleton warriors following closely behind.

But unbeknownst to Anne, Prissy happened to be one of the people cowering in the corner. And for some reason, she was able to see the whole fight- skeleton warriors and all.

* * *

Now, Anne truly did not think her first school dance would end with her and her date, aka the guy she sort of kind of had feelings for, running through the streets of New York away from an army of undead skeleton warriors. Then again, she could never actually have a normal life, could she?

“How do we get them off our trail?” Anne asked desperately.

They cut through a few alleyways as cars and taxis whipped by them in the street.

“Maybe we need to go above ground where they can’t sense us,” Gilbert suggested. “I’m pretty sure they can’t see. They must rely on motion and vibrations.”

The warriors were nowhere in sight now but she could feel that they were close. “How do we go above ground?”

“Well… you can fly right?” he reminded her.

Anne hesitated. She had never flown with another person before and trying it right now without any practice might not have a great outcome. “I-I don’t know if that’s a good idea.”

“It’s the only one we have,” Gilbert said.

He was right.

Anne knew the time was ticking. “Okay. Hold on tight.”

She focused her thoughts on the atmosphere as she put Gilbert’s arms around her and tightened one of her arm’s around him. Taking a deep breath, she willed the air and wind around her to carry them up towards the sky.

To Anne’s genuine surprise, she was able to do it. It was certainly a bit more difficult with a whole other person but it worked. Gilbert held onto her for dear life, unable to look down at the streets below them. Anne had no idea that he was afraid of heights until now and decided it would probably be a terrible time to tease him for it.

She was able to muster the strength to fly them onto the roof of a skyscraper. However, the landing was rough and they ended up landing on the roof face first.

Relieved to be safe from the skeleton warriors and finally able to catch her breath, Anne leaned against the railing that overlooked the city below. Gilbert, on the other hand, was just relieved to no longer be airborne.

“Why did they attack us?” Anne wondered out loud.

“I’m not sure… it’s really strange when I think about it,” Gilbert said, the gears turning in his head. “I’ve never heard of skeleton armies attacking demigods out of the blue.”

“This is so weird. First my dream about Diana and now this. What’s next? We get called about some emergency at-”

She was unable to finish her thought because an image suddenly appeared in the sky in front of her.

It was an Iris message from Jerry. His face in the image lit up when he saw them.

“Jerry?” Anne and Gilbert exclaimed.

“Anne! Gilbert! Oh, thank _gods_!” Jerry cried. “I’ve been trying to reach you for the last hour.”

“We were preoccupied with something,” Anne told him, earning a snort from Gilbert. “What’s up?”

“I could really use your help with something,” Jerry said, his tone turning serious. “It’s kind of an emergency.”

Of course.

“You know that demigod I’ve been scouting? He's much more powerful than I anticipated and I think a monster is trying to kill us,” Jerry continued, lowering his voice a bit. He sounded extremely panicked, as if the monster was right by him.

“How soon do you need us to be there?” Gilbert asked.

“As soon as possible,” Jerry stated.

After ending the call, Anne turned to Gilbert and sighed. “Well… it looks like we’re going to Massachusetts.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I updated this pretty quickly lol. I'm currently taking the semester off due to the pandemic so I have a lot of time to write and I genuinely LOVE writing this story. also, had to throw in some cute cliche moments cus I'm a hopeless romantic.
> 
> anyways, I hope you are enjoying so far!

**Author's Note:**

> p.s. in this universe, Prissy is not related to Billy


End file.
